The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-05-06
Our Washington Letter


Washington May 2, 1887.
The Cabinet officers are enthusiastic in
praise of their Southern trip to attend the
unwilling of the Calhoun statue. The or.
aIor OF the occasion, Secretary Lamar, has
been afflicted with neuralgia ailments since
his return, but he is none the less charmed
with the centre of earth quakes and its
people 10 some of the party Charleston
was an old acquaintance, but with the Post
master General, Secretary of the Treasury
and Senator Voorhees, it was a first visit
and they fell fairly in love with the deli
cious atmosphere, royal hospitality and
fine people of the old city. Mr.. Villas re-
marked that he was prepared to find very
superior people in that aristocratic old
Southern stronghold, but that he was quite
surprised to find such general high tone
prevailing among large portion of the
population.
Equally delighted with the National
Capital will be the thousands of visitors
who will flock here during the present
month. Of course these crowds of strang-
ers from every part of the United States
will expect no hospitable favo RS such as
were heaped in profusion on the disting-
uished Charleston guests. They will
have to look out sharply for their own
brea kfasts and lunches and dinners and
beds. But they will see the most beautiful
l ~, Il Al II n
and they can have glorious time in many
ways, for Washington is more than thing
of beauty. 1t is by far the most interesting
city in America as WE'LL
1t is to be regretted that the elevator in
the Washington Monument will not be in
active operation during the National
Drill, when SO many sight seers will be in
the city. But instead of being lifted rap
idly through the shaft they will he COM
PEELED to tramp up and down five hundred
feet of iron stairway by the light of candles
held by themselves The arrangements
are complete for lighting the interior of
the Monument with seventy-fve incandes-
cent electric lights, with which the effect
is very striking. The electric lighting
plant was provided for by the appropria-
ton for completing the Monument, as was
also the elevator, but there is also need of
more Congressional legislation and another
appropriation before either can be put into
regular operation.
The monument was lighted at its dedica-
ton, but few persons knew it, as but few
entered the Monument on that occasion.
Since then it has only been lighted for
testing purposes, and once when in honor
of Mrs. Cleveland, who made trip to the
top. The lights are at the stairway land
ings, and are fastened to brackets, extend
ing from the iron framework in the centre
of the shaft. The effect is very striking
as one looks up the shaft from the bottom
and sees these brilliant lights on alternate
sides, extending all the way to the top,
and brilliantly Illuminating the entire
interior of the structure.
Workmen have placed the memorial
stones in the panels prepared for them in
the interior of the Monument, all the way
up, and the insert ptions on them show with
perfect distinctness in the electric lights
When some Of the cement was taken out in
fitting in some of these stones. it was found
to be,as solid as the marble surrounding
lit. Curiosity seekers think they ought
not leave Washington without having been
to the top of the highest structure in the |
world built by the hands of man, aud al
though the past winter was unusually in
clement and unsuitable for such an excur-
sion, about two thousand people trudged up |
the winding stairway to its dizzy height |
each month.
They have been very busy at the Nation
al Museum during the week trying to get |
the great relics laced on exhibition be-
fore the National Drill begins. The task
is nearly completed, and the cases already |
exhibited have attracted much notice.
Five cases will contain the whole collection
except the paintings and large objects
which cannot be put into cases. Many of
these articles are souvenirs of Gen. Grants
trip around the world. There is yalua-
BILE collection of old japanese coins of
huge size valued at IS 900. There are
swords, gold headed canes, medallions, rare
woods, silver plate and sparkling gems
which vie with each other to attract the
eye. There are invitation cards, menu
cards, reminders of entertainments given in
his honor, embossed on gold plates. One
invitation to masked ball given at San
Francisco, upon Gen. Grants arrival in
that city, on his return from his famous
tour, is engraved in solid gold, and was
enclosed in silver envelop with the ad-
dress engraved upon it. In the right hand
corner is a two cent stamp, and in the left
the usual "If not delivered in ten days, re.
turn to-" etc. There is casket carved
from the wood of Shakspeare's mulberry
tree and many other articles that have a